7 Ups And 2 Downs From NXT TakeOver: Phoenix

by Scott Carlson

1. Ciampa Continues To Wow

ciampa black
WWE.com

If you were to set the clock back two years to when #DIY was still going strong, you would have been hard-pressed to predict that Tommaso Ciampa would be such an excellent heel NXT Champion today.

But here we are, as Ciampa delivered yet another amazing title bout at TakeOver: Phoenix against Aleister Black. Ciampa dissected the Dutch Destroyer, picking apart his knee and keeping pace with Black’s rapid strikes. His heel mannerisms were as usual perfectly placed to keep fans – who wanted at times to cheer him for his skill – against him.

It’s fascinating to think that he was a tag team wrestler during his entire NXT run until a series of singles bouts against former partner Johnny Gargano, and then suddenly, the Blackheart got a title shot against Black last summer and cashed in.

Several months later, and Ciampa is still the champ and getting better at this role. Just awesome.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.